Antony Blinken Condemns Arrest Of Journalist After Plane Intercepted In Belarus
HuffPost
Roman Protasevich was arrested shortly after the plane was diverted to Minsk on Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Belarus’ decision to intercept a Ryanair flight and arrest an opposition journalist on board Sunday as a “shocking act” by the country’s leadership that threatened press freedom and the lives of those on board. “This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens,” Blinken said in a statement. “Initial reports suggesting the involvement of the Belarusian security services and the use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane are deeply concerning and require full investigation.” We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime's brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist. We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. The United States stands with the people of Belarus.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 23, 2021More Related News